The Old Masters
by Link The Hero of Light
Summary: Ash Ketchum is called home from the Kalos region by his mother to celebrate his seventeenth birthday. Gary Oak's finding of a time flower leads to Professor Oak assigning Ash to unlock it's secrets with help from old friends. The journey has only begun... (Undergoing Rewrite)
1. Setting Out

**This is my first Pokemon fan fiction, so I am glad you decided to click on this story. Now it's my job to keep you here. I started re-watching the anime and movies, when the ideas started flowing.**

 **Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon.**

Gary was sweating heavily, the salty taste of sweat had entered his mouth. It had to be ninety degrees outside today. Around him, a small crew of researchers were packing up equipment. A small mural had been found in the mountain caves of Kanto. Dating had placed it around ten thousand years old. The creation trio of Sinnoh myth were represented. Arceus was creating a man, in the middle of the cave painting, a small glowing green crystal shaped like a flower was between Arceus and the man as if he was being sent down to earth by the Creation Pokémon.

At least they could get moving soon. The A/C was blasting in the truck. Pictures and the artifact would be sent to his grandfather. Maybe a jeweler or botanist could tell them what it was. The cave was deep in the mountains, getting there had been quite a trek. The painting had been found by a trainer, who had gotten lost in the maze like caves. It was merely by luck that they had a signal down there to send out a distress call.

Maybe he would stay in Pallet for a week, before going to the Orange Islands. He would need a change of scenery, maybe a beach somewhere to relax. All he did was monitoring habitat, and sometimes protecting endangered Pokémon. Once he saw a shape fly across the rooftops of a crowded city. He had forgotten the name of the city, but not the Pokémon he thought he saw. It reminded him of a Pokémon that a shadowed gym leader with a Persian used. It couldn't be the same one, could it? It reminded him of a drawing of Mew he had seen, except this one was larger, more defined.

He was restless, he wanted _something_ to happen. A battle, an adventure.

 _You're just a kid on a quest  
To be the best of the best  
Someday you're destined for power and glory  
You know you're up to the test  
There's only one way to tell this story_

 _Be a Hero! Be a Hero!_  
 _All the power is at your command_  
 _Face your fears and show you're a hero_  
 _The future of the world is in your hand_

 _Pokémon!_

Ash awoke to the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. He got up, dressed and brushed his teeth. His backpack was in one corner of the room. One of his drawers held all his badges. Organized and labeled. He had returned from Kalos, two days before. I was now seventeen. Seven years of journeying and was still chasing my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. Out of habit, I opened up a drawer that stored two of my most important memorabilia. Aaron's gloves and an aura crystal from Rota. The crystal still glowed green. I was an aura user, but not a guardian. I put the crystal away and closed the drawer.

Outside, my mother's garden bloomed. Pikachu awoke with a yawn from his place on his bed. "Morning, Pikachu." "Chuu." He said. When he opened the door his mom was waiting for him in the hallway. "There is someone here to see you." My mom smiled.

Downstairs, I saw someone I hadn't seen in person for years. She had changed since I last saw her. Her red orange hair was growing past her shoulders. She wore denim shorts and a red shortsleeve. "Hi, Misty." My heartbeat went to fifty meter dash. _"Damn hormones!"_ I had started getting attracted to girls at thirteen and it was becoming more difficult to feign ignorance when it came to girls. Serena had kissed me only a few days ago, out of nowhere. I had noticed her blushing and had even gone out on a date. Still, I was caught off guard.

"It's good to see you, Ash." She greeted. I tried to make small talk while eating breakfast. "How's the gym doing?" I asked. Her eyes sparkled. The way they always did when she talked about water Pokémon. Pikachu dashed down the stairs, a yellow blur. "Pika!" He dove straight into Misty's lap.

She scratched behind his ears. "There's my pika pal. Is Ash treating you okay?"

"Pika." Pikachu nodded.

"I heard Professor Oak is planning to retire soon." Misty said sadly.

"Won't be the same without him giving starters anymore." I agreed. "Pica." Pikachu nodded from his place on Misty's lap. Misty smiled, my heart did a little tap-dance in my chest. _"Damn it! You can't fall for someone you only see a few times a year!" "But she traveled with me for a couple of years!"_ Another voice answered. I shifted my focus from that train of thought to Misty. With a start, I realized I was taller than her now.

The phone rang. Mom answered it. "Yes?" A short pause. "Yes, he'll be right over." My mom hung up. Hopefully, it wasn't my mom trying to set me up on a date. "That was Oak, he wants you over there to help him with something."

Misty grabbed my arm. "Sure!" She more or less dragged me away from the table, I had luckily finished my breakfast except for putting the bowl away.

Some things hadn't changed a bit. Pikachu followed. Oak's home was up a hill and gated. The path had been redone to red brick pattern. The house was done colonial style with whitewashed walls and red roof. Professor Oak came to the door. "Ash, you sure have grown." Oak's gray hair had gone a bit whiter.

"Hello, Professor." Misty let go of my arm. "Please, come in." Oak closed the door behind us as we entered. Oak had put in wood floors. His lab brought back memories. This is where he got Pikachu. Lab equipment was scattered everywhere, the only well-ordered spots were where Oak was doing research and the Pokeballs area. A scanner was going back and forth over a time flower.

"He's a little _too_ dedicated to his work." Misty mumbled. Tracey emerged from the back, holding a book titled, "Flora and Fauna of Rota." On the front was a picture of a time flower.

"Ash, Misty!" He dropped the thick book on the table and it made a thudding sound from the weight. "It's good to see you." We shook hands. "Pika!" Pikachu greeted Tracy by settling on my shoulder and shaking his hand with his paw. "Hello, Pikachu." Tracey had gotten taller, his skin had paled a bit from working inside.

We talked about our times in the Orange Islands and newer adventuring. Tracey was helping Oak with taking care of the Pokémon sent by trainers and field work. Oak couldn't travel as much because of his back. "What's with the time flower over there?" I asked. Tracy turned and answered, "That time flower was found by Gary Oak in a cave painting in the mountain caves of Kanto." Professor Oak broke in. "That is what I need help with, I was wondering if you could take this to Riley in Rota for me? Since Riley is an aura user, maybe he could shed some light on what this time flower was doing in a ten thousand year old cave painting."

"I'll go." I volunteered. "Pika Pi!" Pikachu said from the top of my head. He gave the victory sign. It seemed like another adventure to me. "I can't leave the gym alone to my sisters, Professor." Misty spoke up, her head down. "Nurse Joy is taking care of the Pokémon at the gym and someone from the League that specializes in water types will handle the challengers." It seemed to me that Oak had thought of everything beforehand.

"Sure." Misty said in a frazzled voice. I had my backpack on already, something I always kept packed and ready. It was more of a habit of mine. Tracey handed me the time flower. I wondered if it was crystal or a plant. The flowers bright colors flashed in the light. I felt it grow warm in my hands. No image of the past appeared or anything, leaving me slightly disappointed.

"The boat leaves from Old Shore Wharf at six in the afternoon tomorrow for Rota." Professor Oak handed me two tickets. "Riley and Professor Carolina discovered some ruins in the area. Last I heard, Riley reported that a lock of some kind was preventing entrance into the deeper ruins." Misty plucked the tickets from his hands. "Well, someone has to make sure that Ash doesn't lose these or our way."

"Hey!" I protested. "I can to find my way around."

Misty scoffed. "Please, you can't find your way out of a paper bag." Pikachu and Tracey were watching this like a tennis match. Sweat drops appeared on their heads.

"Pica." Pikachu sighed.

Tracey shook his head. "Those two will never change."

Oak smiled nervously. "You better get started on your journey, please call if anything happens. Your mother worries sometimes, Ash."

I sometimes forgot about that. My mom was great, always cheerful. Even if she did embarrass me sometimes. "Almost forgot!" The Professor reached into his lab coat. He withdrew a Pokedex. "This is a prototype National Pokedex that the other professors and I helped put together. It has a transport system built in, so you can switch between Pokémon on the road. We even added the Legendary Pokémon we know about from the regions." He handed it to me. "There was one with a phone in it, but there wasn't enough room for it." "Thanks, Professor Oak."

Oak reached again into his lab pocket. "Drat, I know I have it around here somewhere."

Tracy sighed. "Try the other pocket."

"Ah, there it is." He pulled out another Pokedex, except in only had one screen on it. "This is for you, Misty. This is a PokeNav, basically tells you where you are thanks to a GPS, but it has a margin for error. It's better than Ash at least, you know how bad he is with directions."

Misty laughed, "You have no idea." "Hey!" I protested.

We began biking, the landscape of Pallet soon giving way to the forest. Sunlight beat down. A flock of Pidgey flew overhead. Misty's bike was an exact copy of the one Pikachu fried, just resized. My bike was a birthday gift from Mom when I turned fifteen. Pikachu was on my shoulder. The red on the frame and black colors on the spokes reminded me of my hat.

The dirt road was bumpy and it was late afternoon when we took a lunch break. It was slightly awkward. I hadn't seen Misty for…a long time. We had met briefly in Hoenn, but it wasn't a catching up time between friends like I wanted it to be. For some reason, I actually missed arguing with her. "I haven't seen you wear that hat in a while, Ash." _"_ _Huh?"_ I took the hat off my head. It was red and white, with a stylized green L on the front. "Whoa." Apparently, I hadn't noticed which hat I was putting on. Blast from the past.

"Hey, I caught some new Pokemon from the Kalo's region. Come on out guys, say hello to my friend Misty." I threw my Pokeballs into the air. Hawlucha, Noivern, and Talonflame came out.

"Hello, guys." Misty greeted. They greeted her with their names. "Meet my Pokemon." Staryu, Starmie, Psyduck, Corsola, and Politoed came out. "Psyduck! What you doing here? Where's Azurill?" Misty asked at seeing the duck Pokémon. Psyduck stared at her, "Sy?" Misty sweatdropped. "At least I brought Gyarados." She mumbled. I'll probably never know how Misty caught a Gyarados.

The Pokémon began eating as we ate. After lunch, we let them play around. It passed without incident, which was a relief. A bunch of Pokémon playing around could lead to trouble. We began bicycling again after an hour of rest. The forest changed to plains and hills. Farms were dotted here and there. As the sun began to set, we went into another forest and set up camp in a clearing. I slept outside, the starry sky beginning to appear. The fire that we used to cook on was burning low.

A cloud passed over, brighter than the normal deep colors of the setting sun. A flying Pokémon emerged from the cloud. "Pica?" Pikachu stirred from my movement and gazed up at the flying Pokémon. I recognized the white belly, red plumage with green stripe on it's neck and wing tips on sight. A gold glow surrounded it. Ho Oh, the first Legendary Pokémon I saw. I wanted Misty to see this.

"Misty!" I called out. Misty stirred. "Huh? This better be good, or I'll…." She trailed off as she saw Ho Oh flying overhead. "Oh wow." Something sparkly flew towards me and landed on my sleeping bag. It was a feather unlike any I had ever seen. They didn't sparkle like a miniature rainbow. I got out my new Pokedex scanning Ho Oh and the feather. Ho Oh disappeared into the clouds heading for Old Shore Wharf.

"Ho Oh, the legendary fire flaming type Pokémon. Legends say that those who see Ho Oh are promised eternal happiness. Presumably flies through the world's skies in search of a Trainer with a pure heart. The Rainbow Feather, a gift from Ho Oh to a pure heated trainer." The Pokedex said electronically. I put the feather in my backpack. I heard deep breathing from Misty's sleeping bag. She had fallen asleep. Pikachu resumed sleeping on my side, curled up. The rest of the Pokémon lay around us.

I fell asleep to a dream. It was weird though, the surroundings were white and misty. I was in some kind of ruined temple. The white columns had cracked and fallen. The roof was missing, but some pieces of it lay on the floor. At the head of the chamber lay the emblem of Arceus, sixteen plates around a golden cross-like wheel. The stones were cracked. It had the air of a tomb. I had the feeling this place had once been magnificent.

There was nobody here, just me, the fog and an old ruin. I awoke to the sun in my eyes. Not a good way to start the day. Misty was already up, her Pokémon had returned to their Pokeballs. My Pokémon were all up and fed. "Well, finally you woke up. It's about ten in the morning already." I dragged myself out from the sleeping bag. "I already fed your Pokémon breakfast." Misty informed me.

I got dressed behind a bush. I emerged with my old hat on. It actually still fitted me. I began with one of my bagged meals. My mom had some kind of super power to make food last long. She probably knew I would be off on another adventure after going to Professor Oak's. I returned my team, except Pikachu who rode on my shoulder. "Hopefully, we can get there early so I can do some training on the boat."

We biked the rest of the way until we rested. I started to smell the sea. After lunch, we began cycling again, going downhill to the docks. The wharf hadn't changed, well at least the sky was clear. I shivered. Pikachu tensed slightly, picking up on my emotions. This place didn't bring back memories I wanted to remember.

A cruise ship blew it's whistle in the distance. Three funnels blew smoke in the air. It was a luxury liner. We cycled into town, when a limo went by us. The windows were blacked out. We coughed in the swept up dust. Misty shook her fist in the air as it vanished. "Jerk!" I mopped my face with the handkerchief she had given me when we parted ways. A small blush appeared on Misty's cheeks. "You actually kept that?"

"Yeah, I still have your lure as well." I said as I carefully rewrapped the lure after mopping off Pikachu's face and using some water from a water bottle to clean it off.

"I am glad you're with me, Misty. We haven't journeyed together for a while." Misty turned completely red. I thought it was cute. My heart began beating at Rapidash pace. Distracted, we went off the road and took an unplanned detour.

The bikes went down a steep hill, going past the point of stopability. Trees blurred, looking ahead. I leaned side to side. If we braked, we would be sent flying. We all screamed loudly. The wheels left the ground and we all ended up in a pile of bushes. We emerged from the bushes. It was all so fast, my head spun. Pikachu fell off my shoulder, dizzy. I pulled Misty from the bushes. Our bikes were bent up in places, spokes coming up.

"My bike! Ash you…" She was cut short when a swarm of Beedrill appeared. Misty froze. Her fear of Bug Pokemon taking over. I grabbed Pikachu. "RUN!" I yelled. We took off leaving dust trails behind us. The Beedrill followed us. The harsh buzzing told us that we had made them angry. Maybe we had stumbled into their territory. There was a small flash of yellow from my arms and Pikachu leapt into the air.

"PIKACHUUU!" A thundershock hit all of the Beedrill, making them slump to the ground. He gave the victory sign. "That was great, buddy!" He resumed his place on my shoulder. "Pikachu's power certainly has grown since I saw him last." Misty's eyes shone with that "I want to battle you" light. Going around the Beedrill, we went back to our bikes. We began walking our bikes along the road, going into town and soon finding the wharf. I looked at our tickets. The name of the ship was the same as the liner at dock.

"The Eruca is now boarding passengers. This cruise is bound for New Tork and Rota." A loudspeaker spoke from somewhere on board. The porter took our tickets and stamped them. He was dressed in a red sailors outfit, with gold thread on one shoulder. We left our bikes in cargo, hopefully we could find someone to repair them.

Our cabin was in second class, two portholes looking outside at the shore. The beds were plush, with two sheets, one heavy and the other thin. Two lifejackets were in one of the cabinets, were we stored our backpacks. We only had one shower and bathroom. We decided to have lunch on deck, grabbing some food from the dining room. The ship was whitewashed halls and blue carpet inside. The dining room overlooked the bow, from below the helm.

No Team Rocket yet, maybe they had given up. It had been a week without an attack, so it made me jittery. The cruise had a battlefield and gym on board for trainers. People passed us by, along with Pokémon. Pikachu hung onto my shoulder or at my side. A Persian walked by and hissed at us. "Pika Pi!" Pikachu narrowed his eyes, and his tail stood up. "Calm down, Pikachu. It's just a Persian." Misty spoke. The cat Pokémon turned its head away and went down between the tables and rested near a businessman in a black suit with a tie as red as blood. Sunglasses obscured his eyes.

I turned away back to my lunch, feeling unsettled. Pikachu went back to his Pokefood. A woman with long blond hair caught my eye. It was straightened, but familiar. My eyes spotted a poster. It was colored bright red, with pictures of Cynthia, Steven, Lance, Alder, Diantha, throwing Poke balls. The title of the poster read: Pokémon World Cup! At the bottom read: To register for this once every seven years event, trainers must journey to the host city of New Tork. Requirements: Trainers must average a Top Eight ranking in the Pokémon League.

I wanted to join that event! "Hey, Misty." She looked at the poster and sighed. "You are going to compete no matter what aren't you, Ash?" I grinned. "Yep!" The ship's whistle blew and the ramps were retracted back to the dock. Lines were thrown back. The anchor weighed. There were a lot of people on the boat. "I'm going to check out the pool, we will meet later." Misty said. I had dinner by myself.

The pool didn't sound like a bad idea. We had spent almost the entire day in the dining room. A few people had crowded around the poster. Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder. "How does the pool sound, buddy?" "Chaa." Pikachu nodded. Later, I was in a tropical flower schemed swimming trunks. The clock read nine o clock. Curfew was at ten thirty.

The pool was empty, the entire place silent except for a swimmer at one end of the pool. I dove straight in with a cannonball. Pikachu made a little splash, next to me. His feet and arms began swimming, his tail acting as a rudder. Misty emerged from the pool in a bright blue two piece. My cheeks burned. She had grown curves since the last time. The water showed them off.

I turned away and decided to head for the hot tub. The water against my back gave me a light pressured massage. The steam drifted up. Pikachu dozed in the steam. Tomorrow would be training day. Misty entered right next to me. I felt self-conscious, her being this close made me blush, but I was already red.

There was a splash of water and a water war began. Pikachu scampered off. He didn't like getting soaked to the bone. Drying him out made him look like a yellow puff ball with legs and a lightening shaped tail. Misty won that round. We crashed in our cabin, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

 _The Eruca's Helm_

The helmsman was at the helm. The ship was at little past twenty six knots and making good time. The owner of the cruise ship sat in a chair overlooking the bow. They could see out, but no one could see in. A Persian rested with it's head in a man lap. He wore a black suit. He stroked the cat's head. The cat purred. "Screens." The man's voice was icy. His shades had come off, revealing black eyes.

A live image of the New Tork Skyline appeared. "Physic analyzer, Primary Target." The image turned green, the lights and sunset skyline changed to be dulled. The image zoomed in on one of the tall towers. A bipedal, humanoid creature with feline features appeared. A long gray, purple tail flicked behind it. On top of its head were two short, blunt horns. Purple eyes blazed defiantly. A tube extended from the back of its skull to the top of its spine, bypassing the neck. It has a defined chest and shoulders, which resembled a breastplate. The three digits on each hand and foot had spherical tips.

"Target Identified." An electronic voice said. "Scan of powers, physical structure and imaging scan confirms with ninety percent accuracy that subject is Mewtwo. Anomaly detected. Ten percent error chance caused by evolution signs. Power has increased by fifty percent. Reports in nearby area include sightings of Genesect. Caution is strongly recommended."

"So, I have found you at last." The man was none other than Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket. Now the last known underground organization of Pokémon hunters and scientists, whose research was deemed inhumane. "Project Metus, report." The screen switched to show an athlectic blond woman. "This is Agent D, reporting." "Status update." He ordered. "Substances deployed and presence of bots holding steady in test subjects. Stooges assigned to scout duty as requested. Three surprisingly adequate for deep cover."

"I will arrive personally on schedule. Delivery of equipment on board and ready. Tests from scientists show Metus in all subjects. Humans not effected due to chemical and electronic makeup. TA, GM and CC is also onboard, don't engage unless project success is threatened. Capture of M2 and M, one will draw out the other, live capture paramount." "Green light." The female finished and message was cut off.

"Failure will result in downfall." Giovanni finished. The cat looked up. "Meow?" The screens vanished. Inside a cloud, a red haired man listened to the conversation from a small gadget like a Pokedex. Lines of code flashed across the screen. "This is Lota, sending message to Uxie Pallas. Message from Big R to D."

The man soared ahead on a Dragonite, cape flying behind.

 **Remember to Review!**


	2. Welcome To New Tork

**Q: Why didn't the time stone activate when Ash touched it?**

 **A: There's a reason the time stone didn't activate to Ash's touch. This time stone has some powers of it's own, besides relaying the past.**

The skyline of New Tork was in the distance. I was training hard for the World Cup. Electricity lit up the gym as Pikachu unleashed his thunderbolt. "Now use agility!" Pikachu became a yellow blur on the field. "Quick Attack!" I called out. "Pika,pika,pika, pika,pi!" One of the targets on the end of the field shattered. "Good job, buddy. Keep it up!" Pikachu began charging up an electro ball and let it loose. Misty watched on the sidelines.

Now things were going to get hotter with my next Pokémon. "Charizard, I choose you!" The flying fire type came out and roared in confidence. He then loosed a flamethrower in my face. "It's good to see you too, Charizard." I coughed out some smoke. "Show me what you learned!" Charizard aimed his head up towards the sky and unleashed a fiery comet. It broke apart in the sky, fizzling high above. "Whoa, you learned Draco Meteor!" Charizard grunted and blew smoke. His eyes shone. He wanted a fight with a strong dragon.

Before receiving Charizard at Professor Oak's, the Professor told him that Charizard had come by himself, all the way from Charicific Valley. I could tell he wanted a bigger challenge. That was why I brought him along. The World Cup would be fierce. Charizard rested on all fours and began doing pushups, mixed with flamethrowers. Charizard had his own way of training. I wiped my face off with water from my water bottle.

"Leavanny, come on out!" The grass and bug type came out. "Leavanny." Use energy ball than follow up with X scissor!" The Pokémon shot across the room charging up an energy ball, to fire it point blank at one of the targets. She sliced another to four pieces. She started her training as well.

"Buizel!" I called. The Sea Weasel Pokémon emerged. "Bui,Bui!" The water pokemon greeted. Buizel always gave one hundred and ten percent like the rest of my Pokémon. He began practicing aqua jet, water gun and water pulse. We would still have to work on adding ice to the attacks.

"Hawlucha!" I called. The Wrestling Pokémon emerged. This Pokémon was truly almost exactly like me. "Haw!" Hawlucha spread his wings and launched into the air. Hawlucha was currently working on fighting while airborne. Hawlucha became a blur of wings.

"Noivern!" I called out another of my Kalos Pokémon. The Sound Wave Pokémon emerged. Noivern began soaring around the field, hitting targets from above. This was the very best team I could put together. I hoped Goodra and Greninja were doing okay. I began doing some exercises, getting in shape along with my Pokémon.

Misty was still on the sidelines, but she was training her own Pokémon. Water arched back and forth. Psyduck was well, Psyduck.

"Attention, we will be arriving at New Tork Harbor in two hours." A man on a PA system spoke. We returned our Pokemon to their Pokeballs. The woman with long straight, blonde hair appeared. She wore jeans and a blue shortsleeve shirt with the symbol of the Pokémon League. Dark sunglasses obscured her eyes. She was so familiar to me for some reason.

"You are certainly training hard for the World Cup. Your journey has taught you much, Ash." She took off the sunglasses and a pair of grey eyes were underneath. "Cynthia?" I realized. Misty turned and paled. "We always seem to bump into each other on our journeys. Will you introduce me to your friend?" Cynthia asked.

Misty nervously spoke. "Hi, I'm Misty. Cerulean City gym leader."

"You can call me Pallas during this cruise. Trying to avoid the public eye during traveling." Cynthia said. "What are doing here?" I asked. "Attending the World Cup, it happens once every eight years in a chosen city and later, Rota. " _Something a lot bigger is going on here."_

I was having trouble with the time flower, it wouldn't react to aura. Maybe it was broken _._ My Pokémon introduced themselves to Cynthia. She looked at Charizard. "So this is the Charizard that defeated Articuno. I daresay it could go up against my Garchomp." Charizard huffed and drew itself up slightly in response. Charizard had a bit of an ego.

"I hope to see you in the World Cup, Ash." She walked away. Misty hit me upside the head. "Owwww." I moaned. "You didn't tell me you knew the Champion of Sinnoh!" "Must've slipped my mind." I was in a daze. "Along with your brain." She muttered. I had really hoped we had gotten past that stage.

The skyline of New Tork hadn't changed. Pokémon Hills rose from the center like a green and metal dome. The city was more packed than usual. I thought the opening of Pokémon Hills attracted a lot of people. The hustle and bustle made me anxious. Everything was on fast forward. The exhaust of the cars and trucks made it grungy. It was more dirty, crowded and noisy than usual. It made me long for the outdoors. It wasn't hard to miss were the event was being held. The banners and flags of the Pokémon League fluttered in the wind, hung around a stadium. A Pokémon center was nearby. A banner over the doors read, "Registration for Pokemon World Cup."

I took a breath and went inside. The line was shorter than I thought. "I'll be checking for a room while you register." A place to stay sounded nice. A day without rolling from side to side sounded excellent. Sea travel messed up my bearings, as well as the Pokémon. Pikachu kept wobbling side to side on my shoulder.

I plugged in my Pokedex and my identification came up. A pop up banner came on the screen reading "Accepted. Trainer average in Conferences accepted." The machine spat my Pokedex back out along with a letter. The screen went flat white for the next person. Misty was waiting for me. "All rooms were booked in advance." Misty said in a state of shock. "Did you register? Are you going to battle?" Misty spoke in a hurry. I grinned. "Yep." She smiled. "Nurse Joy told me that trainers who are entering the World Cup have an all-expenses paid stay at the Plaza, for the duration of the event." Now I was mindblown.

"Really?" I asked. Misty grinned. "Let's go, I wonder what it will be like." I wondered who my first match would be against. The Plaza was more like a mansion and overlooking the park. Inside, I was struck by how fine everything was. The floor was so polished that it shone. The stones were decorated with a floral pattern and the lobby reminded me of a palace fit for royalty. The staff all wore red suits. A decorative P was on their jacket pockets. This was a luxury hotel.

I approached the front desk. It was made of dark wood and it gleamed. The man behind the desk looked up and sat still, posture perfect on a tall chair. "You are one of the trainers, then? Pokedex, please." I handed it over. The dull green eyes scanned the computer in front of him. "Well, everything checks out. Who is this?" His tone was flat and professional. "This is my coach, Misty." I replied. The brown hair was slicked back, so I could see his eyebrows rise slightly.

"Well coaches are allowed, so I guess she is your guest as well." Misty was turning red. The man handed my Pokedex back along with a key card. "Enjoy your stay." It was so flat that it sounded automatic. The card read, "Floor 20, Room 6." It was in fancy writing that was kind of hard to read.

The elevators dinged open at the end of a hall lit by fine light fixtures. The pool nearby reminded me of an ancient villa owned by a king or priest. When the doors opened again, I almost had a heart attack. It was Tobias. Just my luck. Nothing about him seemed to have changed. "I thought we would meet again, Ash. I look forward to our battle."

He disappeared into the elevator, the doors closing like a coffin lid. Misty shivered. It got really cold all of a sudden as we walked. "Who was that? He was creepy." I never thought Misty to be scared of anyone, but I was seeing it now. "Tobias, I lost to him in the Sinnoh League. I only defeated his Darkrai and the battle with Latios ended in a draw with Pikachu."

"Pika." My buddy said sadly. "Cheer up, Pikachu. I know we will beat him this time." I appeared confident, but I was unsettled. The room we were in was like a house or villa for royalty. It was luxurious. The couch looked like soft silk and the chairs and table in the living room were all decorated with a leaf pattern. The cable TV was high def, and the kitchen was stocked. We had views over the park and the city. A stairway led up, which meant there was a second floor.

Misty laid back on a recliner. "I could get used to this." I decided not to comment. A guide on the table said there was a training gym in the hotel, restaurants nearby and transportation. Fifth Ave was a few steps away. I turned my attention to the letter I had received. The Pokeball and lighting symbol representing the League was stamped on the front. I began to read the contents to Misty.

" _Trainer Ash Ketchum, I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Pokémon World Cup. The World Cup is an event that gathers top trainers from specific regions all across the globe. Regions are chosen by contributions to the League, humanity and the welfare of Pokémon. The event is much like a Conference, except the battles are six on six only. The winner receives the title of Elite Trainer, a sum of ten million poke credits deposited into their account and a chance to battle a champion assigned by lot._

 _Regards, Charles Goodshow._

 _P.S. A formal dinner will be held at the Rose Club at seven am, the day before the opening ceremonies. Personal guests are allowed._

I needed some air. Misty as well. We stepped out onto a terrace overlooking the park. "Wow." We both said as one. These would be the matches of a life time for many trainers. "You ready to win, Pikachu?" "PIKA!" He yelled. He was pumped.

It was at that moment, I saw a flash of magenta hair swept back. I looked again. That hair could only belong to Jessie of Team Rocket. The hair was on a rooftop across the avenue. "Misty." I pointed it out. "Team Rocket, what are they doing here?" Trouble couldn't be far behind. We looked at one another. "Let's tail them." We both said at once. As we left the hotel with our Pokeballs and a few energy bars, we ran into someone.

I recognized that orange headband. "Cameron!" I greeted. He ran up, a miniature dust cloud forming as he stopped. "Hey Ash! How've you been? Is that your girlfriend? Do you want to battle later?" He said at a rapid pace. "Great. No, she's not my girlfriend. Isn't it against the rules to battle right before a conference?" I answered all his questions. Pikachu greeted Lucario from my shoulder.

At least I wasn't pushed into a body of water by Bianca. "I thought I spotted Team Rocket around here, so we're following them." The amount of people around made it hard to follow anybody. "Those three again? You aren't going to find them easily in this city. I got lost several times already." The Lucario closed his eyes and opened them. Lucario pointed to the subway. "You can sense them, Lucario?" Cameron asked. Lucario nodded. "Rio."

"Show us the way then." Misty spoke. The subway was clean and busy, trains came and went with the wind coming from the tunnels. Sometimes the subway went above the streets in an elevated track. The trains were all electric, to keep exhaust from filling the subway. Lucario opened a service door with the spike on its fore paw. The lock clicked open.

The passageway was made of cement and bare lightbulbs running along. A series of cables ran along the wall, probably the wiring for the track. After a while of walking, Lucario stopped and looked around in confusion. There was no door or anything else around, besides the rumbling sounds of a passing train. The tunnel walls were moist from being underground. Where were they?

Team Rocket had just disappeared. "Can you still sense them, Lucario?" Cameron asked. Lucario nodded. The Aura Pokémon began feeling around one of the walls. "Er, Lucario?" Cameron sweatdropped. A section of the wall opened like a door when a part of the cement sank into the wall further. "A secret passage." Misty spoke in a whisper, a faint echo sounding. The blackness ahead yawned like a cave. Lucario powered up an aura sphere until it functioned just like a torch.

A cat's paw was in the dust of the stairs leading down. Team Rocket had definitely come this way. The Stairs descended about thirty feet before we were in another tunnel. Soot stained the walls. Old tracks were laid down and the brick was crumbling. We had stumbled into an older section of the subway. The aura sphere made everything look creepier. Shadows surrounded us as we followed Lucario.

I heard a train whistle from somewhere. "Probably in the tunnel above us." Misty said pale. The tunnel rumbled. "Just passing over us." Cameron sweatdropped. "It sounds awfully close to me." I answered. Pikachu shivered on my shoulder and went behind my head. We heard the train whistle again and we all gulped. Turning to look behind us, we saw a light of a train coming at full speed. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" We screamed at the top of our lungs. "RIIIIIIIOOOOOO!" Lucario shouted.

Cameron dove one way along with Lucario, Misty the other. I was locked in place as the train went right through me and Pikachu. "CHHHHUUUU!" The electric mouse squealed in panic. It felt like icy water had gone through my chest. My cap had left my head. The train faded away. "Heh,Huh." I breathed. The train had gone, my stomach with it. We were in total darkness. Lucario's Aura Sphere began to shine again.

"Did you happen to see the number on the locomotive?" Misty asked. "Sorry, I missed it." I weakly said. Having a ghost train go right through you tended to do that. We began walking along the tracks, Lucario guiding us. The tunnel shook, dust coming loose from the ceiling. This made me nervous, if it collapsed we would have a building or street fall on us.

The tracks ended, but the way ahead was clear. "Could you dim the light, Lucario?" I asked. The light shrunk in size. The tracks of cat's paws now had two other sets of footprints. "My name is Meowth, I'm covered with fur. That's why I get hairballs, you called us sir?" Meowth's voice echoed around the tunnel. We could hear but not see them. The song echoed around the tunnel. A man's voice echoed around the tunnel.

"You know who is entering the World Cup then?" "Yes Sir." The trio said. "Sending over the trainer list now." Meowth said. "Report back to operations, now we wait." The boss of Team Rocket finished. He was here, somewhere in the city.

The sounds of Team Rocket moving away came from ahead of us. "Douse the light." The green aura disappeared leaving us in pitch blackness. A warm glow came from ahead, but it was moving away, into the wall. I heard the sounds of rushing water from a pipe before the door closed. It sounded like a busted pipe, except there wasn't flooding. It had to be running below the streets.

The aura sphere came to life again. We went to where we had seen the light and were greeted by a brick wall. I heard squeaking and a black Rattata dashed across the tracks. Someone had dug through the brickwork to make a passage.

Team Rocket must've been at this for weeks, maybe months. A passageway for only one person went forward, the way lit by lightbulbs. The air was muggy and I could hear rushing water. We came across the source, a water pipe with a freshwater sign on it. Whoever had done this had dug into a service tunnel. This was the area's way of delivering freshwater. Misty brought out her new Pokenav. "We are right under the Green Line that runs from Lexington to Woodlawn."

The tunnel went on before it ended in a locked door. Lucario picked the hand scanner on the door by using aura. _"How did he do that?"_ The door opened slightly and I looked through the crack into a cavernous room. A set of vials, scientific equipment and precision machines were cluttered around. Men in white hazard suits walked around. It seemed too clean to be dangerous. Pikachu left my shoulder and wandered into the room.

"Pikachu." I whispered. Pikachu looked around before diving into the shadows, underneath the tables and equipment. "We shouldn't stay here." Misty whispered. "We can't leave without Pikachu." My friend had disappeared from sight. "I am going, now before we get busted." Cameron said. It was unlike him to be quite. A man in a hazard suit walked by and that was the last thing I saw before blackness came over me.

I awoke, leaning against something my head pounding. Misty and Cameron came into view. They were stirring as well. Lucario had been bound by chains around his legs and forepaws. "You should know better than to leave yourself with only one escape route." A man's voice said. I turned and focused on the man in front of a light source. We were back in the abandoned subway tunnel.

The man came into sharper focus. Only Lucario was bound. My friends were not hurt. I rubbed my head, the headache was pounding. The man's helmet was off but the voice was familiar. "You should be coming around soon." My vision stopped being blurry, but I couldn't stand yet. The man's hair was black and swept back, his eyes were blue.

"It was only luck that I came across you before a guard did." He gave me a blue stone with an orange and cream colored swirl inside of it. It was a mega stone, one I hadn't seen before. "Good luck in the World Cup." He unwrapped the chains from Lucario. "I am sorry, friend. I didn't want to take any chances that you would attack." The man disappeared into the darkness taking the light with him.

We were in total blackness for a while. Misty groaned. "My head." "Ouch." Cameron said. I heard the pitter patter of paws. A soft glow came around the corner and Pikachu came into view. A closed petri dish was in his mouth. I placed it with the mega stone and time flower. I would check them out later.

We stood up, a bit shaken. The tracks were rusted in places. If someone fell, they could be seriously hurt. I thought about the strange man who had helped us get out of there. Team Rocket was doing something under New Tork. "What are you kids doing down here?" A man came from the opposite end of the tunnel. He was dressed in an orange and yellow striped suit of a construction outfit. A smelly bucket of some thick liquid was in his hand. A light shone from his hard hat.

We had been busted. "You three have some explaining to do." He was a big guy, not Surge large, but close. He was about two feet shorter. The worker herded us back the way he came. Soon we were greeted by an open door leading to a subway tunnel. A path went along the tracks, probably for inspection. A train went by and the air made a strong wind gust.

We emerged from the tunnel to a station. The man took us along to a security office. "Talk." The man sat down. "We were following some members of Team Rocket, Jessie, James and their Meowth. They went underneath the Green Line and talked to their boss, Giovanni. We followed them about twelve miles to a room with all sorts of equipment. We were heading back to the Plaza, when you caught us."

Misty told the story. We were covered in some kind of dust from head to toe. The stuff reminded me of the white powder in the vial. "I can tell you are telling the truth, but you will have to talk to Officer Jenny at the station. We have seen some members of Team Rocket, but it's like they keep disappearing." Cameron kept quiet. I think he was nervous, heck, I was. Pikachu was on my shoulder. We squinted as the light temporarily blinded us. It was sometime in late afternoon. The sun was casting long shadows. It was sunset when we left the station, Officer Jenny was looking a little stressed. I noticed pictures of Team Rocket had been photographed all over the south parts of the city. Wanted pictures covered the wall near the front desk. A Houndoom growled at us.

"Calm down, boy." Jenny said. It kept growling. "Maybe Houndoom is smelling something on you three." Jenny released Houndoom and it sniffed my pocket where I kept the time flower, the mega stone and the unbroken petri dish Pikachu had brought from that lab. I brought them out. The Houndoom barked at the sight of the petri dish. "I'm afraid this is evidence." Officer Jenny confiscated it. "Have this run down to the lab." One of the officers took the petri dish. We were in a dark room with only one lamp. We fidgeted nervously as the worker told Officer Jenny how he caught us for trespassing and our Team Rocket story.

I had to hand over my Pokedex to Officer Jenny. "I am the property of Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. User is currently staying at the Plaza Hotel. Trainer is currently registered for the World Cup." The electronic voice said. I heard the policeman from earlier say something about the petri dish contents probably being a abuse substance. "Since you are in the World Cup I can't hold you here until I get the full story, so I will let you off with a warning this time."

We were let out of the dark room and the Green Line was now marked on a map behind the front desk. The rich people at the Plaza, gave us sideways glances as we entered the lobby. Cameron looked white as well, a ghost. His hands were twitching like he was playing an imaginary piano. Or maybe it was from being cooped up for so long. The elevator ride back up was silent. Until Cameron broke it. "I missed a lot of training today."

Misty sighed. "That's all you guys care about these days." She glanced sideways at me before huffing. Cameron still looked shaken when we arrived at the twentieth floor. "See you later, Ash. They have to have a gym around here somewhere." Cameron ran off, it was like he was in a hurry to get away.

We washed up in our room. I wished Clemont was here, he would have some kind of gadget that could tell me what that stuff in the petri dish was. I kept it safe in one of my backpack's smaller pockets. I had about a week before the World Cup. "I'm going to train- Owww." Misty was pulling me by the ear. "We are going shopping, Ash Ketchum. The words formal dinner means a suit and tie. Table manners as well."

The next three days I would call torture. I went shopping with Misty and ended up with a one Pokecredit brown tie, a black suit that was three hundred Poke credits. She let me go after that, but to be at the room by two pm or else. It was ten o clock when I started training with my Pokémon. That left me with four hours to train my Pokémon and figuring out what vitamins to put in their diets.

With such time limits, I had to use short bursts of vigorous training workouts. In twenty to thirty minutes we were all drenched in sweat. Lots of water was used to cool down during a ten minute break before exercising attack power. With Tobais's two legendary Pokémon, I needed something that would penetrate through a light shield and cause damage to a Darkrai. Darkrai was weak against bug type moves, so I had to use Leavanny against it. Pikachu would face Latios again.

Those were the only two of his Pokémon I knew about. I doubted he had normal Pokémon. After thirty minutes of attack training, I was worn out as was my Pokémon. Tomorrow would be agility. I wasn't sure what made me more nervous, improving table manners or preparing for the battle. At least I passed the elbows off the table and small bites. Living with only my mom gave me a crash course in table manners at home and how to talk to a woman.

The day went by too quickly. I looked up the Green Line online. It ran just as the Pokenav said. I checked a twelve mile distance using Lexington and Woodlawn as a guide. Hillview Reservoir fed the entire south part of New Tork City. Maybe we could visit Pokémon Hills and the Reservoir tomorrow. The lights of the city shone through our windows. Pokémon Hills gleamed in the light pollution. I missed seeing the stars.

 _Pokémon Center_

A black van silently goes past a fence. The license plate was real, but bought under a false name. Stopping in the road it pulled off to one side drunkenly. It stops just before hitting the gate. The lights turn off and so does the security camera on one of the fences. The camera flickers back on, but the truck wasn't on camera. "We are now the invisible truck." A man's voice said.

"Shut up." Another man's voice said. It was gravelly from aging. He wore a white labcoat over a purple shirt. His hair was white and bushy. Sideways half circle shaped glasses hung on his nose. "A worker will come to see what the problem is with the lights and we must be done before then. We have thirty minutes maybe less." The man's name was Dr. Zager and he was Giovanni's head of Scientific Research. He had been given the position after Dr. Fuji's death.

Thoughts swirled in his head. Mewtwo was a breakthrough in science. The ability to clone a Pokemon, even a Legendary. Even Zager was impressed, but cloning was risky. He had looked at the waves of the birth of Mewtwo and the other Pokemon, even Amber. The wavelengths reminded him of Rapid Eye Movement, more commonly known as "dreams." Amber and Mewtwo had been communicating somehow. By using the sedatives, Mewtwo had been robbed of the emotional response to a traumatic event. In short, Mewtwo awoke with severe PTSD. The harshness of Giovanni must also be the cause of it's cold and violent behavior.

Capturing it again would only further enrage Mewtwo. He planned to be far away before that happened. The gate silently opened as an operative managed to get past security. Giovanni would be watching the games, then board a waiting helicopter. The machines would do what they had programmed to do, but sneaking it in to a Pokémon Center was difficult escapable with this much security. Team Rocket had completed stages one through three without problems. Stage four and five would be dangerous. He had some safety measures already in place for himself.

If everything went according to plan, Southern New Tork and Pokémon Hills would be decimated. The scientist still didn't think it would work. Electric-type tests with Project Metus the had ended in failure. The generators of electricity in the Pokémon caused the device to overload and release it contents too soon. So an electric nullifier for the substance had to be created using a bit of chemistry so that the plan wouldn't be revealed too soon. The operatives had managed to finish offloading the van and everything was now in place. With all the Pokémon treated by a Pokémon Centers here for the trainers in the event and others, the estimates showed that at least hundreds of Pokémon would be treated. The doors closed and the van drove off.

 _Pokémon Hills_

The laboratory was white and clean as a man in a white lab coat was busy typing away on a computer keyboard. Whatever was in the petri dish that had been confiscated that morning was so small it required an electron microscope to see properly. Still the scientist had to report what he saw and it's potential uses. If it indeed came from a laboratory of Team Rocket, well trouble wouldn't be too far behind.

 ** _Reviews keep the story going!_**


	3. Friends and Rivals

**Wow, 450 views already. In _two_ chapters. You guys rock! **

In the morning, I awoke with a groan. Going to sleep last night had not been easy. How was one supposed to go to sleep with all the noise outside? Four days in this city and he was still not used to the energy given off by the fast forward movements of the people. His spiky black hair was even more a Rattata nest than usual. Tonight would be the formal dinner. Pikachu awoke with a yawn.

He wondered if any of his friends would show up. Professor Oak and his mother had arrived yesterday. They had met in the Pokémon Hills, seeing the Pokémon that called that place home. Professor Oak had given a few lectures on the Pokémon from the Kanto region for the park's visitors. Inside a building shaped like a temple, what was known of Legendary Pokémon rested. The displays were thousands of years old.

The oldest were images of Arceus. The ancient letterings were translated to English. I had seen Arceus and the Pokémon didn't have a thousand arms. Maybe it was a reference to physic powers. It was the first Pokémon I had met that truly felt godlike. The other legendries didn't hold a candle to its power.

A laboratory had opened up in the Pokémon Hills, to see how Pokémon lived in their natural environment and provide health care. My mom had come to see the matches and wish me good luck. She mentioned a few friends would be coming by later. Mr. Mime was watching the house.

Touring the Park had taken most of the day. A monorail service went to the Pokémon Hills entrance and went on to other points of the city. It was said that it would take a day to reach all the stops on the line. In the evening, we had dinner at a small restaurant. Pikachu had a love for ketchup. I had caesar salad. I wasn't really paying attention most of the time. I was too busy mentally planning for the matches.

Misty had trained me, even subtlety. Any man who thinks he is head of the house is fooled. It dawned on me when I began hanging my jeans on a clothes hanger. _I never wanted to do that._ Maybe it was because we had been friends for so long. I smelled something cooking in the kitchen. Breakfast? Misty cooking something put me on edge.

Maybe she had called room service. I carefully went downstairs and my worst fears were confirmed. Surprisingly, nothing was burned. Misty's hair was gathered back into a ponytail and was in the middle of turning off the stove. She caught me staring. "What? I had to learn how to cook when my sisters left and Brock often came by to help."

Pikachu made a beeline for the ketchup. I grabbed him. "Pica?" My best friend asked. "No ketchup for you until after the matches. Have to keep you in shape with regular Pokémon food." Pikachu pouted and gave me the big pleading eyes treatment. "Gah! Don't look at me like that!" Misty handed him a small ketchup packet.

Pikachu stuck out his tongue at me. He leapt onto the table with his back turned to me. Misty had made pancakes. They were light and fluffy. "Thank you, Misty. My cooking skills haven't improved a bit." Misty chuckled. "Brock told me how he met May and Max in the Hoenn region. He said he could hear your stomachs before the Taillow." Those birds were nasty.

I washed out my Pokémon's food dishes while Misty cleaned up the table. It was just like the old times. Charizard was too big for the apartment, so I would have to feed him later. The terrace probably wouldn't hold him. It was a beautiful day outside. The park was like the woods outside Pallet Town. Charizard munched down on his breakfast outside. Getting the spices right was tricky. Misty hadn't said a word. She was close to me, then a few steps away. Charizard returned to his Pokeball and Pikachu rode on my shoulder. The greenery was nice to see after being surrounded by skyscrapers. Sunlight filtered down through the branches. I was suddenly tackled by a little girl with pigtails. "Bonnie?" I gasped out. She had a very good grip.

Dedenne emerged from her satchel and scampered over to Pikachu. "Ne,Ne." It said before exchanging electric shocks with Pikachu. "Bonnie, slow down." Clemont emerged breathless. When my mom mentioned a few friends, I didn't think this many would show up. May and her little brother Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Brock and Serena.

Brock had been given a few vacation days from his college for Pokémon Doctors. Dawn's Buneary ran up to Pikachu making him a bit red. Max had grown since I had seen him. He was now eleven or ten years old and had a few battles under his belt from the confident look in his eyes. May still had her bandana and was still a Pokémon Coordinator in Hoenn region. One of them were going to inherit the gym someday.

Axew jumped from Iris's hair and ran up to Pikachu. "Axew, Axew!" He greeted. Iris was still training to be a Dragon Master. Cilan was a gym leader and top Connoisseur, hoping to open his own shop someday. Serena was like Bonnie's older sister. Pancham and Chespin ran up to join Pikachu. The day was spent catching up with each other. They had come to cheer me on at the matches.

Thanks to Clemont, I learned what Mega Stone I had gotten, it was Charizardite. Charizard could mega evolve, but I worried that Mega Charizard wouldn't listen to me. I didn't want a rampaging Mega Charizard loose in the city. I didn't even have a keystone. Even so, I tied it around his neck in a pouch Iris gave me.

Serena turned red once she heard that Misty and I were staying together. I didn't know what that was about. Before I knew it, it was time for formal dinner before the opening ceremonies. I dressed in my tuxedo, the tie tightened and straight. When Misty came out, I momentarily forgot how to speak. She had let her hair down, and a white flower was in her hair. Small touches of makeup brought out her natural beauty. I hadn't noticed how green her eyes were or how her lips were shaped.

Her dress was blue and silver toward the ends of the sleeves and sewn in wave designs. A shoulder strap went over her left shoulder. She looked like a water spirit or goddess. I offered her my arm, like a gentleman should. She blushed and smiled at the same time. Accepting my arm, we went down to the Rose Club. Brock whistled appreciatively. My friends, my mom and Professor Oak were there as well.

Brock, Clement, Cilan, Oak and Max wore tuxedos. Pikachu wore a miniature tux, Buneary in a pink dress much like Dawn wore, hopped up next to him. Pikachu sweatdropped. Dawn was wearing the same dress her mother had picked out for her first contest. I never thought I would see Iris in a dress, she was clearly uncomfortable in it. May still was wearing her bandana, except it was used to tie her hair back. Serena was wearing a pink dress with no shoulders. My attention was elsewhere as Ritchie approached. Sparky was on his shoulder. "Ash, I have been waiting for that rematch we agreed to have someday."

"Let's make it a great one." An elderly man in a white tux was on a stage were a band usually played. We went to our seats. "Charles Goodshow is about to make a speech, I suggest we find our seats." Oak said. "Greetings Trainers and Guests. Tomorrow morning will be the first series of matches between the chosen trainers for this year. The matches will be full battles and occur in different stadiums, those who advance past the first battle will have two field changes. Trainers may substitute Pokémon at any time during the match."

A projector beamed an image of matches. "These will be the opening rounds." The pictures spun around and stopped before revealing that my first match would be against Ritchie. Just my luck and my luck sucked. Tobias v.s. Paul, Dino v.s Cameron, Ramone v.s Tyson, Assunta v.s. Harrison, Russet v.s Antonio, Katherine v.s. Jon. Two other trainers, I didn't know.

Ricthie gave me the thumbs up from the table over. Now that Charizard was listening to me, maybe this time would be different. "Good luck to you all." Goodshow finished. Misty's hand found mine. She blushed and withdrew it, which left feeling confused to why I felt disappointed. Mom had given me the "talk" but she hadn't covered this at all. I didn't know what to do anymore. Misty was a friend, but friends don't give each other heart tap dance routines.

Misty and Serena glared at each other. What was going on? Dinner was uneventful. Pikachu ate on my right, below my chair. Buneary seemed to fluster him. Oak talked about strategy. I would go with my own strategy. Unpredictable. Maybe it would work this time. My mom and Oak wished me good luck in the battles ahead, they and my friends would be watching from the stands. No pressure at all.

I stressed to say the least when we went back to our rooms. All my friends I had made and my mom would be watching. "You're stressed. I can tell." Misty was always able to tell what was wrong with me. As well as Pikachu. He gave me an electroshock treatment when I started to worry. Misty was in her pajama's. I couldn't sleep. "The last time I faced Ritchie in a tournament, I lost."

"You and your Pokémon will do great, Ash. Just keep on doing your best." Those words again. I breathed in and out. Misty stood by me in shorts and a faded T shirt. I yawned. The clock on the bed stand read ten pm. I went off into dreamland, my sleep not as restful as I would like. Pikachu curled up against my side.

The dream was like a shadowy background. I felt the ground shake slightly. A ten foot red snake eye broke from the surface of the ground. It focused on me with hate. The snake's eye was red with a black pupil. Whatever it was, I hoped it stayed there. A green glow, much like aura blazed overhead suddenly and the snake retreated, hissing with anger and frustration. I awoke suddenly.

The clock now read six am. The sunrise filtered in through the shades. Pikachu stirred. "Pika Pi?" _"Just a dream."_ Today would be the opening ceremonies and the first series of matches. "Ready, Pikachu?" I scratched behind his ears."Chaa." Misty didn't come downstairs until I had finished with breakfast, which was a bowl of cereal.

Misty was wearing the outfit from her time in Hoenn. A yellow jacket and shorts. "You can do it, Ash." Misty seemed to know what I thinking as well as my mom. I put my old hat on, my goodluck charm. The time flower was in my pocket, I didn't want to leave it in the hotel room. We had just finished putting the dishes from breakfast away, when the doorbell rang.

A man in a black suit had knocked. "We are waiting Mr. Ketchum." This was it. Much too soon, I found myself at the stadium where I would face Ritchie again. "Good luck." Misty gave me the v for victory sign that I did. I waited inside a locker room of sorts, with a TV showing what was going on the field. Pikachu was on my shoulder.

"Greetings to all the trainers and travelers here today witnessing the Pokémon World Cup." Mr. Goodshow was speaking. "A guest trainer will now light the ceremonial flame and the matches will get under way." In the sky I saw a shape descend from the skies. It looked like a dragon type, but one I hadn't seen before. It was completely black, except for the sky blue underside. Two spikes with blue tips curved upward from the front and back of each shoulder. The lower trims of its wings are divided into rounded points and the third joint was adorned with a claw-like spike. Blue flames poured out of the side of its mouth and tip of it's tail.

Someone was riding it, but I couldn't tell who. A bright blue flamethrower erupted from the dragon type's mouth and almost enveloped the torch basin. It was right up there with Reshiram in terms of power. A bright blue flame burned steadily. The Pokémon ascended back into the sky. "Our first match will be Ash against Ricthie, two promising trainers from the Kanto region."

I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the field. Bright lights beamed down onto the field. Ricthie stood on the other end. A board showed six dark spots along with our pictures. Sparky left Ritchie's shoulder and entered the field. "Ricthie chooses Pikachu as his first Pokémon." An announcer took over from Mr. Goodshow. Pikachu jumped off my shoulder. "Pika." He gave me the victory sign.

"Okay, let's do this Pikachu." I grinned and twisted my hat back. "It's Pikachu v.s. Pikachu down on the field. We are going to see a real shocker of a battle. Now we will see who has the first move." The spinner landed on Ricthie. "Start this with Quick Attack!" Sparky became a yellow blur. "Dodge and use Volt Tackle!"

Sparky missed Pikachu as he went to the side. Sparky stopped and Pikachu charged up by running. Electricity crackled around him. "Pika, Pika, Pika, Pi!" The attack hit dead on and Sparky went flying. "A Volt Tackle hits dead on, but it's still standing." He recovered and the dust settled quickly. Being an electric type, Sparky could take a lot of hits before being out for the count against another Pikachu.

"Sparky use Thunder Shock." "Pikachu use Volt Tail!" It was a spur of the moment attack. Sparky's Thundershock hit Pikachu, but something was wrong with the attack. It arced towards Pikachu's tail and the already forming electro ball grew in size. Pikachu's attack connected with a ground shaking impact and a large dust cloud obscured the field.

"Those attack's seemed to have connected and the dust cloud has obscured the field. Has it been decided already?" The dust cleared to reveal a dazed Sparky, standing but not out. It shook off the dirt. Pikachu emerged, tired but still fine.

Back in the stands, his friends, mother and Professor Oak stood watching the battle. "It seems Pikachu's Iron Tail, a steel type move and its ability lighting rod powered up Electro Ball. This battle is not just about types here, it's about the trainer's experience." "So basically, just luck in Ash's case." Misty finished. Piplup cheered along with Dawn in a cheerleading costume. "You can do it, Ash!" "Piplup!"

"Sparky, you all right? I know you can pull through." Sparky pulled through when hearing Ritchie's voice. "Sparky, use Double Team!" Multiple Sparky's surrounded Pikachu. "Pikachu use Counter Shield!" Pikachu spun around while using Thunderbolt, the yellow strikes also worked as an offense instead of defense and it knocked the fake Sparky's away to vanish. "An unorthodox move by Ash's Pikachu stops Double Team in it's tracks." The real Sparky was sent reeling. "Sparky!" Pikachu hopped back up. "Pikachu wrap this up with Thunderbolt." Dodge it!" Ritchie shouted.

"PIKACHUUU!" The entire stadium was lit up from the strike. When the dust cleared, Sparky was unconscious. "Pikachu is unable to battle, Ash's Pikachu is the victor." The referee said. "You did great buddy, now rest." Pikachu went to my side.

Ritchie grabbed another of his Pokeballs. "Rose, come on out!" A Swellow appeared, "Hawlucha, I choose you!" The fighting and flying type came out with a "Haw!" and landed with his wings wide. "A Swellow against a Hawlucha, an aerial battle." "Rose, use Aerial Ace!" Ricthie's Swellow was surrounded by white streaks. "Roll to the side and use X Scissor!" The Aerial Ace missed as Hawlucha tucked in his wings to make himself smaller and side stepped like a Tauros fighter and used X Scissor as the bird passed by. "An X Scissor makes direct contact against an Aerial Ace!" Rose flew off to one side in confusion and turned around.

"Hawlucha, Fly." Hawlucha rose in the air. Ricthie's Swellow was a flying type and I needed to match that speed. I wondered if fighting type moves would work in the air. That X Scissor didn't do a thing as it was a bug type move. It did however, allow Hawlucha to see the Swellow's power. "Rose, use Quick Attack!" I waited as Rose got nearer and nearer.

"Hawlucha! Right Karate Chop upwards!" Hawlucha's hand on the right wing glowed white and slammed into Rose. The Swellow went straight up and fell back to the ground. "That one looked like it hurt!" "Flying Press, Hawlucha." Hawlucha spread his wings and flew downwards for the knockout. "Rose, use Brave Bird!" The Swellow glowed blue and soared upward to meet the Flying Press, too close to dodge.

The attacks slammed into each other and the resulting blast of power created a shockwave. Both Pokemon fell to the ground. Hawlucha shakily got to its knees. Rose appeared unconscious from the dust cloud on impact. Hawlucha grinned, even though weakened. One more attack would probably finish him off. "Swellow is unable to battle, the victory goes to Hawlucha." Hawlucha then fainted with a grin on it's face. "Rose, return." "Hawlucha, return. You did great buddy, get a long rest."

Two for one. Ricthie grinned across the field. "You sure have changed since the Indigo League. Let me introduce you to a Pokemon you have met before. Cruise!" A Tyranitar came out and grunted. So Pupitar had evolved. Pupitar was strong in it's pre evolution. "Leavanny, I chose you!" The grass and bug type came out.

"Cruise, start this with Dark Pulse!" The dark purple beam sliced through the air. "Energy Ball into that Dark Pulse!" Leavanny's bright green energy ball collided into the beam and also went through it. The glowing sphere impacted Cruise, making a small crater in the ground. The Pokémon had been forced back a bit, but was still strong. Its defense had been lowered.

"Cruise, use stone edge!" A circle of rocks surrounded the Tyranitar. "Dodge it by jumping from rock to rock!" It was much like Rock Tomb Climb. "Leavanny appears to jumping through that Stone Edge! "Use energy ball!" While still dodging the attack, Leavanny leapt high into the air and fired a light green orb. The Stone edge missed, but a close range energy ball wouldn't.

"Cruise! Use Rock Smash to defend yourself!" A rock emerged from one of the Pokemon's hands and met the energy ball before it could hit. The rock was blasted into splinters. Cruise emerged dazed from the dust. "Leavanny's energy ball is blocked by a defensive rock smash!" Cruise had taken some damage from the energy ball, probably about half.

"Razor Leaf!" I called out. Spinning leaves rushed towards Tyranitar. "Sandstorm, Cruise!" The dust began to resemble a churning thundercloud. Leavanny became coated in green. It was kind of like a jacket against the storm. I took out my Pokedex _. "Overcoat, this ability protects the Pokemon from damage from the weather."_ That was handy. "Leavanny, use string enhanced energy ball then move to the left and use leaf blade."

Leavanny's string shot scored a hit on the Armor Pokémon's chest. Energy ball was right behind it. Cruise fell over from the impact. "Cruise, get up and finish this with Hyper Beam!" Great. If that hit Leavanny, it would be curtains. "Leavanny, stop using Overcoat. Hide yourself in the dust!" Leavanny's green glow faded and when the Hyper Beam went through, I breathed a bit easier.

Leavanny's razor leaf emerged from the dust and hammered it with small blasts. "Tyra!" The armor Pokemon fell over, swirls in it's eyes. The dust settled to reveal a battered Leavanny. "Tyranitar is unable to battle. Leavanny is the winner." The Nurturing Pokémon was covered from dust and tired from the battle. "Return, Leavanny you were great out there. Get a good rest."

"Come on out, Peck!" A Fearow came out. Pikachu pulled my pant leg. "Pikachu!" My buddy said determinedly. "You want to battle?" "Pica." He nodded. "Alright. Pikachu, I choose you!" The electric mouse went out to battle. It was like the first time I started out on my journey. The First move went to me. "Pikachu, use thundershock!"

"PIKACHU!" "Peck, use protect!" A green shield surrounded the Fearow and the thundershock failed. "Aerial Ace, Peck!" White lines formed around the Beak Pokémon. "Use agility to dodge!" Pikachu was so fast it disappeared before Fearow could hit it. It squawked with frustration. "Peck use Drill Peck!" The beak glowed white and spun around as it headed for Pikachu.

Closer, Closer. "Pikachu, use Thunder!" At such close range, Thunder couldn't miss. The beak Pokémon cried out with a "Fearow!" It collapsed in a heap near Pikachu. "Get up, Peck and use Fury Attack!" "Pikachu, use Iron Tail to block!" It was kind of like a bizarre sword fight. Pikachu flipped himself away. "Electroball!" In midair, Pikachu unleashed an electric sphere and a dust cloud arose. When it cleared it revealed an unconscious Fearow. "Fearow is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner."

"Return, Peck." Pikachu returned to my side. "Happy, come on out!" A Butterfree appeared. "Freeee." It chittered. "Frogadier, I choose you." The water type struck a ninja pose. The first move went to Ricthie this time. "Happy, use sleep powder." The powder spread over Frogadier. "Frogadier, use Water pulse and make it burst over you." The blue sphere shot up and burst much like a bucket of water being thrown. It neutralized the Sleep Powder. "Bubble!" A high speed stream of Bubbles headed for the Butterfree.

"Freee." It was brought down and got up again to fly. "You okay, Happy?" "Freee." "Use Whirlwind!" Butterfree began circling around and unleashed a miniature gust from it's wings. "Frogadier, use Aerial Ace!" Frogadier jumped right through the attack white lines appearing around him. "Freee!" Butterfree fell to the ground unconscious.

"Happy is unable to battle, Frogadier is the winner." "Return." We both said at once. Back in the stands, Ash's mother was taking picture after picture. "Ash still has a few tricks up his sleeve." Clemont grinned. The way he used that Stone edge like the rock tomb climb was amazing." "Ash is really good!" Bonnie cheered. Professor Oak gazed down on the field. "It's not over yet, even with one Pokémon left Ritchie could still turn this around. His last Pokémon must be strong." "This battle is full of many different flavors, that even I am surprised." Cilan jumped up and down. "Such a kid." Iris sweatdropped. "I am definitely going to have to train harder, if I want to challenge Ash." Max pushed his glasses up. May was watching the battle intently. Dawn shook her pom poms. "Go, Ash!" "Piplup!" "He sure has changed a lot over his journey." Misty whispered to herself. "Huh?" Serena took her eyes off the match.

Ricthie grasped his last Pokeball. "Zippo, heat things up!" A Charizard emerged on the field. Guess Zippo evolved since the Whirl Islands. "Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard emerged with a flamethrower up into the air. "Looks like the heat really has been turned up down on the field." The first move went to Zippo.

"Zippo, use Flamethrower!" A jet of flame escaped from Zippo's mouth. Charizard dodged it like it was nothing. I could tell that Zippo was severely outmatched by Charizard. "Use Firespin, Charizard!" A orb of flames erupted from Charizard's mouth and streaked forward like a comet. Except something was wrong with it. The attack expanded into a fire symbol.

Charizard had learned a new move. Fireblast, one of the most powerful fire type attacks. "Zippo, use Swords Dance!" Blue swords surrounded it and began circling. There was a powerful explosion of flames and Zippo was consumed by it. Zippo was forced back by the flames and emerged from the smoke panting. "Zippo use Slash!" Zippo charge forward with claws extended.

Charizard stopped it cold and tripped up Zippo. "Use Seismic Toss!" Charizard went up in the air and began circling. "Zippo, use Slash." The attack connected. Charizard grunted and responded by diving towards the field. Charizard let go of Zippo and a huge dust cloud erupted from the impact. Zippo stood up, shakily. Charizard grunted. "Zippo use Tackle." Zippo charged forwards. "Charizard, Dragon Tail!

Charizard's tail glowed blue. He spun around and the impact felt as bad as it sounded. Zippo's eyes rattled in it's head. The fire and flying type was thrown into one of the walls. Dust and rocks flew. Zippo fell unconscious. Zippo is unable to battle, Charizard wins. The victory goes to Ash Ketchum." _I won._ The crowd cheered.

I exited into the concessions stands. Pikachu on my shoulder. Hopefully, I could find a transporter to the Pokémon Center. I found one and dialed. Nurse Joy appeared on the video screen. "Congratulations on your first match, Ash." "It was all my Pokémon's efforts and training." I replied. "Could you check up on my Pokémon?" "Sure, place them in the transporter." I placed all five of them in.

A bright light shone and they were beamed over to the Center. "Thanks, Nurse Joy." "Your Pokémon are in good hands, Ash. Best of luck." The connection went black. Now to find my friends. They were having lunch. My stomach rumbled along with Pikachu's. "You were great out there, Ash!" Bonnie bounced up and down. "Don't let it get to your head." Misty brought me back down.

Ritchie came over. "That was quite a battle we had out there, Ash. Let's do it again someday." We shook hands. "I'll be rooting for you." His friend left to continue on his journey. I knew that I had more of a friend in Ritchie than a rival. As the matches of the day wound down, I found that I would be facing Tyson. Things were about to get intense.

 _On the stadium roof_

The field below was pockmarked with craters and every so often the field had to be repaired. A Pokémon was watching the matches. The Pokémon was mostly watching Ash's match. In fact it had been following him since he was ten. The Pokemon was a pink color. The large, blue eyes were intelligent and playful. It had short arms with three fingers and paws. It's large hind legs and feet dangled in the air. A long, thin tail trailed behind it, ending in an ovid tip.

It was a Mew. It disappeared from sight, making itself invisible.

 **Reviews make the journey continue!**


	4. An Unexpected Change

**For all you who have favorited, followed or reviewed so far, a very big thank you. Writing fanfiction during college is** ** _not_** **easy. It's you guys that keep me writing this adventure.**

Ash rolled over in his hotel bed. It was comfortable, but he couldn't sleep because of the thunderstorm outside. Every few seconds a bright flash lit up the sky. Rumblings of the storm came and went before he drifted off. There was the reason why he wasn't as bothered by thunderstorms. He had been zapped so many times by Pikachu that he was quite used to it. He was just thankful that he wasn't on the receiving end of that massive Electro Ball in Unova.

When he saw Pikachu surrounded by that crackling blue sphere of lightning, the battle around them seemed to slow. The air was super charged and smelled of ozone. The attack was on the scale of a Legendary. He couldn't be more proud of Pikachu. Said friend was sleeping next to him, curled up in a ball.

He wanted to become a Pokémon Master, but his personal favorite type was electric. Because of Pikachu. He dreamed again, this time he was in inside a thundercloud. He could tell because of the darkness and forks of lightning all around him. Rain fell, making him soaked in seconds. Pikachu was on his shoulder. His cheeks sparked with blue electricity.

Wings came from the shoulder joints of the Pokémon they were riding on. Blue tips on the horns briefly came though. The smell of something akin to sulfur made me wince. Much of the Pokémon was obscured in clouds. Every so often, a bright blue flash would light up the clouds. He found himself staring into a red eye with a black pupil and a white iris. I awoke in a cold sweat.

Pikachu awoke next to me. "Did you dream about a thunderstorm too?" Pikachu nodded. We had the same dream. "Must be because of the weather." I would be competing against Harrison today. At least he didn't have any legendries. He had seen the match between Paul and Tobias. Paul had only managed to defeat Darkrai. His rival in Sinnoh had lost six to one.

Watching the battle and my own experience battling him, told me that Tobias was impatient. The mysterious trainer relied on his Darkrai's dark void/dream eater combo. Light Screen had given Pikachu problems. I would have to find a way to get past that defense or find a way to increase attack power.

I wondered if there was a battle club nearby that I could use to train. Some of my best training was at the battle club. My match today was at one in the afternoon. The battle club wasn't too far away. A few trainers had already left, so I was alone. I filled out a few forms and signature list for those that had already use it.

Misty was already here. She was dressed in swimming shorts and a red bikini top. I also noticed that Misty had cut her hair short so it just reached the back of her neck. She looked good, really good. She had always been cute, but she was starting to be seriously beautiful. Pikachu nudged his leg. Not getting a response, Pikachu gave him a small shock.

That brought me out of my staring. I realized that Misty had said my name twice. "Ummm." _"Let's try for a complete sentence now, Ash."_ Misty had the hint of a blush, but she covered it with a smirk. "Like what you, see?" She turned around. _"Where did that come from?!"_ I had called her cute back when she wore that Goldeen outfit as Melvin's assistant. Maybe this was payback or something.

I took off my shirt. Misty was now the one to go red. She turned away, putting a little extra 'oomph' to her steps. "Come out, Frogadier." The water type emerged from his Pokeball and landed in the pool with a splash. I cannonballed in. The splash had soaked Pikachu. His cheeks sparked. "Pi!" He shook himself. "Sorry, Pikachu." He glared at me, his tail standing straight up. He went over to Misty, who was acting as spotter.

"Ready to do some training, Frogadier?" "Fro." The water Pokemon nodded. Misty turned on the current and we began swimming against it. A wave came up and we held our breaths and dove under it. We emerged with a gasp and swam back to near the falls. That wave was Misty's doing. At least it wasn't that fifty footer like last time. I had no idea what that training was for. Surfing?

We kept training with Froakie for the next thirty minutes in the pool. The next was target practice. I called out my Pokémon. Hawlucha, Leavanny, Pikachu, Charizard, Frogadier and Gible. The next training session was target practice. The battle club had moving targets we could use. I picked up the speed of the targets around the ten minute mark. The sounds of a 'ding' or a melted bull's eye meant it was a hit.

Smoke rose from the misses from Flamethrower. Frogadier's cuts had left slash marks in the wall. Leavanny had made a few craters along with Pikachu. Hawlucha just punched the targets to bits. Gible had missed a few times, leaving more craters in the ground than a blast zone. Next was what I called the Treadmill of Doom.

Running on a treadmill while dodging dodgeballs wasn't my idea of fun. I was going to have bruises in the morning. I returned my Pokémon to their Pokeballs. Only a few hours until the match. Misty sat near the edge of the pool. She was watching her Pokémon play. Her hair stuck to her neck and her legs seemed to taper on forever.

I took a breath. _"What the heck was going on?"_ I sat next to her in my swimming trunks. Pikachu rested on one of the towels, napping. My stomach was in knots. Why was everything so awkward all of a sudden? I probably missed Misty more than I wanted to admit. Everything seemed a bit different without her there.

"Ash? Something you wanted to talk about?" Misty placed her hand on mine. My heart rate went to Pachirisu speed. "Just remembering how much we have changed since we started our journeys. You're more beautiful than I remember." _Did I just say that?_ Misty blushed. "You're still that kid I fished out of the stream." I felt a bit put out.

I didn't know what to do around her anymore. Everything was awkward and confusing. I suddenly found myself pitching into the waters of the pool. "Hey!" Misty fell over laughing. "You are going to get it!" I dragged her in and she spluttered as she emerged from being pulled in. What followed was a full out water war. Ash had lost count how many times he had been dunked and splashed.

An hour later, we were pretty much washed up. I heaved myself up out of the water. I gasped for air. Misty panted beside me. "Truce?" I asked. "Truce." Misty agreed, too exhausted to argue otherwise. I toweled off and changed in the changing room. Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder. It was cloudy outside. I saw a flash of lightening come down in the park. The sky rumbled. _"A thunderstorm? It was supposed to just be cloudy today. The sky doesn't look dark enough."_

I noticed a poster put up on one of the boards nearby. "Electric Skills Practice in Pokémon Hills." Sounded like a good idea, maybe I might learn a new skill for Pikachu. We walked to the park, after agreeing to give it a look. It was eleven, two more hours.

The park had set up a battlefield and I saw a man somewhere in his sixties, speaking to a crowd of trainers. His hair was sliver. The crowd was small, only about ten people. Each had an electric type Pokémon. The teacher had a Pikachu next to him. "I will teach you some of my own techniques, starting with how to use a challengers own electric attack. Young man, would you like to be my challenger?" The man turned towards me. He was wearing jeans and a shortsleeve. His electric blue eyes were piercing.

Pikachu leapt off my shoulder. "Pika Pi Chu." He faced the man's Pikachu. The other Pikachu responded by throwing blue electric sparks to communicate. There was something different about this Pikachu. Misty pushed me forward. "Sure." We prepared on both ends of the field. "You may have the first move."

"Pikachu use electroball!" A crackling sphere of energy emerged on Pikachu's tail. "Volt, brace yourself." The man said calmly. The attack hit but instead of the flying rubble I was used to seeing, the Eletroball stopped and went out with a fizzle around Volt. The other Pikachu's cheeks sparked brightly. "Thanks for recharging Volt. Thundershock!"

Pikachu planted his tail into the ground, while electricity went in all directions. "Ash, that was Volt Absorb. An ability that can restore an electric Pokémon's health. I've never seen it used like that." Misty informed me from the sidelines. Both Pokémon had received no damage. "Volt, use Charge." The Pokémon glowed with arcing electricity as it raised its attack power.

I needed to find a way to cancel out Charge. Pikachu didn't know Volt Absorb. "Pikachu use Iron Tail and grab Volt by the tail." Pikachu ran up and in a Tackle style move grabbed the other Pikachu by the tail. "Iron Tail into the ground!" Volt reacted by shocking Pikachu with Thundershock. When the smoke cleared Pikachu was unharmed. Pikachu had acted like a grounding wire.

"Volt, return." The Pokémon retreated into his Pokeball with a flash of red light. "That's it for today. I'm getting to old for this." _"That was the shortest match I ever had."_ The crowd dispersed. "Young man, a little advice from an old timer. Use whatever you have available." The old man's eyes seemed a little darker, like he had seen many battles and not just the ones that involved Pokemon.

The old man vanished. I blinked. _How could someone move so fast?_ Misty looked around. "He vanished." No footprints were left behind. It was as if trainer and Pokémon had vanished without a trace. I had experience with ghosts but he looked too solid to be one. Where the small crowd had gathered, no tracks were left from their leaving. The clearing was empty.

We emerged from the trail to find a standing clock. It read noon. We had been in the park for only a few minutes but it was an hour. Something strange was going on. Probably a legendary, it wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. Things would really go all to hell with all manner of world endangering occurrences. It was like he was a Legendary Pokémon magnet. We had about an hour to get back to the stadium.

I completely missed the glowing green of the aura stone around my neck. It dissipated as the scene with the old trainer vanished. I made it just in time to the match. Misty wished me good luck. Inside the locker room, I waited for my match. A TV showing the field had been set up and the first match was Tobias against an unknown trainer.

Tobias still won the match with his Darkrai. Seeing a full six on six, getting won by a single Pokemon on one side was ugly. Tyson defeated Russet. Cameron defeated Jon. Finally it was the final match for today. Against Harrison of the Hoenn League. I took a breath, steadying my nerves and went outside.

The crowd cheered. "Trainers, shake hands." We did. The spinner pointed out that Harrison had the first move. We released our Pokémon at the same time. Blaziken v.s Charizard. "Looks like we are in for one scorcher of a battle." I tuned the announcer out. "Blaziken, start this with Blaze Kick." Blaziken leapt into the air, using gravity to add to the attack. "Charizard, get in the air and dodge!" Charizard took off so fast, it was like a rocket. Blaziken's attack missed.

" _Need to use long range attacks at first."_ "Charizard, use flamethrower!" His signature attack, blazed out. "Blaziken, dodge and use Thunderpunch!" _That's new._ Blaziken leapt up into the air. Blaziken was surprisingly mobile in the air, but in the middle of a move made any Pokémon vulnerable. "Charizard, use Dragon Tail!" The attacks collided in midair, resulting in an explosion. Blaziken was hurled down to the ground, making a crater on impact. Dragon Tail had canceled out Thunderpunch, but it also was a physical move as well. Charizard had taken little damage from the impact.

Blaziken rose from the dirt. "Blaziken, use Fire Punch Quick Attack!" Blaziken dashed forward, his fist blazing yellow and white. "Charizard, use Fireblast!" A fiery 大 blazed out and resembled a comet. The attacks met in an explosion of heat that turned the air into a desert wind. Blaziken was still coming, his fists had stopped burning with flame. "Charizard, roll and use seismic toss!" Charizard tucked himself into a barrel and sped towards the ground, rolling past Blaziken. Charizard pulled up from the ground and wrapped his arms around Blaziken. The dodging move gave Charizard the speed he needed for the toss and threw Blaziken down before Harrison could even call out a counterattack.

Another crater decorated the field. Blaziken struggled to rise, weakened by the blows. There was nothing sporting about this anymore. It was Harrison's call. "Blaze Kick!" "Dragon Rage!" I called. Charizard released a fiery inferno. Blaziken kicked at it with his attack in midair and the explosion threw Blaziken into a wall. Blaziken emerged from the dust with swirls in its eyes. "Blaziken is unable to battle! Charizard wins!"

"Return." Harrison pocketed Blaziken. "Steelix, come out!" The steel type Pokémon roared. "Charizard, return." I ran through the list of Pokémon I had with me. "Come out, Gible!" I had a feeling this would be interesting. "Gible." The land shark Pokémon looked up at Steelix and grinned. He had that "bite" look in his eye.

 _In the Champion's Box_

Cynthia watched the battle below. Gray eyes studying Ash. He was unlike any trainer she had met before. Most treated their Pokémon like tools or pets. Paul, at the start was almost insufferable. Until the birth of respect for Ash's unique style of battling and raising Pokémon after the Sinnoh League. Tobias was powerful, prideful and impatient. Seeing Darkrai getting beaten must've been quite a shock. A legendary being defeated by a normal Pokémon. That action would stay in everyone's thoughts for a long, long time.

She had even done some background reading on Ash's accomplishments. He took up an entire file cabinet of the Pokémon G Men. Mewtwo, the genetic Pokémon cloned from Mew. Information was sketchy on that one, she'd have to ask Ash himself. The Shamouti Island Incident, when Ash saved the world from flooding and Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Lugia from a collector. These were the "true legendries" the ones that ruled over nature with Arceus. The saving of a Lugia and her baby from Team Rocket. Then there was the Hale Family. Entei and the Unown.

Celebi and Suicune. Those events had happened _forty years_ in the past. That adventure was told by Professor Oak, confirmed by his journal and Team Rocket's report. The idea that a Pokémon could be turned evil and go against its very nature was…unsettling to the least. The mirage system that made her sick to her stomach. The mastermind, Dr. Yung hadn't been captured or found, the G Men kept the file on him open. Alto Mare and the Soul Dew, the death of a legendary Pokémon. That one was classified and only Mr. Goodshow could access it. It also stated that a Pokémon could turn into a human. That made her brain hurt thinking about it.

Jirachi, Absol and a fake Groudon. A plot of Team Magma. The fun was pursuing the dream not making it. Deoxys and Rayquaza showing that Legendries were very territorial about their realms. Team Magma and Aqua seeking to expand the seas or the earth. Again, Ash had saved the world. Togepi and the Mirage Kingdom, saving the kingdom from a coup and the destruction of the Togepi paradise. The mystery surrounding the Tree of Beginnings. Another Mew sighting reported. Manaphy and the Sea Crown. Ash was granted the power of the Sea King, whatever that meant.

Then Sinnoh and the battle with Team Galactic. She had met the Legendary Space Time Duo. Achieving her dream of meeting them, just not in the way she envisioned. Ash met them again in Alamos Town along with another "true legendary" Darkrai. Then the Reverse World with Giratina and the effects of Space and Time battling over territory. Arceus's awakening caused their realms to merge. Michina Town was almost leveled and all of humanity destroyed, except for Ash's actions in the past to calm Arceus's rage. Even without the Jewel of Life, Michina flourished. During the Baccer World Cup, when Zoroark was captured. Raikou, Entei, and Suicune began to destroy the city. Celebi appeared, healing Zoroark and the town's greenery. Ash and his friends giving all to protect Zorua.

The events of Eindoak Town, built around a castle called the Sword of the Vale. A sighting of the Mythical Pokémon Victini around Ash. Not only did Ash have the help of Victini, he enlisted the aid of Zekrom to stop the rampaging Dragon Force from consuming the world. Then Ash's courage helped and inspired Keldo become a member of the Swords of Justice by fighting Kyurem, the most powerful dragon type in the world.

Then she had met Ash again and the rage of the Forces of Nature were calmed, Team Rocket's plan to rule Unova foiled. Ash again saved the region from Team Plasma with the aid of N and his unbreakable bond with Pikachu. Ash went on to calm the Genesect from attacking New Tork and Mewtwo had again appeared. Absentia Natural Park was the new home of the Genesect and the area closed off to the public.

Yveltal was awoken from his slumber and Xerneas slumbered in his place. Death and life intertwined created new life. The Diamond Domain was saved. Ash had told her his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master and he would make it come true. Not even Hoopa could pull that out of a ring. The events at Dahara City had reports of Ash battling alongside three legendries and their mega evolution forms. Shadow Hoopa had become part of Hoopa because light couldn't exist without dark. He was like a Legendary Pokémon magnet.

His hometown was Pallet, in the Kanto Region. The only Pokémon region without any legends, myths, or traditions related to Pokémon. Kanto was more innovative, the main reason being that the Masterball had been created there. Every champion had at least one Masterball on hand. His mother's name was Delia Ketchum. There was a father, but no name as he wasn't listed in the Pokémon trainer's list. She had married the unnamed man and he left soon after Ash was born. Mr. Goodshow was the only one who had access to the completed file. There were a lot of blacked out spaces in it.

Ash had grown into a Trainer with a pure heart and a fine young man. He was now nearly her height and four years her junior. Ash had gone through a major growth spurt to say the least, he had been scrawny the first time she met Ash, but he had done some filling out. Mr. Goodshow had a list of trainers that had the potential to become a Champion. Ash was at the top of the list. It seemed with each Legendary Pokémon he encountered, Ash's willpower, bond with his Pokémon, and his skill in battling grew ever greater. Another explosion brought her back to the field. _"You blink, you miss it."_ Lance chuckled. "That Charizard's strength is impressive." That was Flint's way of saying he was impressed by Ash's battling.

"Gible v.s Steelix. Interesting choice of match up." Mr. Goodshow brought them back to the battle. "See anything interesting out there, Cyn? You looked like you were doing more than studying Ash." Alder teased. She felt a heat grow in her cheeks. Ash was the only person so far besides her family and other Champions that called her Cynthia, not just Champion as a title.

"I am interested in the match, that's all." Gible used Dig and went under the ground. Stelix went under the ground trying to find Gible. A powerful comet erupted from the ground, followed by a Steelix then Gible. Gible had used Dig along with Draco Meteor. Dig damaged ground types, along with the Draco Meteor it had to sting slightly. Steelix was pounded by the falling debris from the move.

Steelix roared loudly and his tail glowed. Gible dodged by going underground and emerged to bite Steelix's tail. Gible was wrapped into a Bind, were the Land Shark used Rock Smash to break free. The Iron Snake was dazed from the attack and a Dragon Pulse knocked Steelix out. Rock Smash and Dig were ground moves. Effective against Steel types. Ash had lowered Steelix's defense than struck with a Special Attack lowered by Draco Meteor but it was enough with all the damage given to Steelix. Ash was beginning to fight smarter.

The trainers below returned their Pokémon. Harrison chose a Houndoom. Ash sent out Pikachu. The little electric mouse. To say that this Pikachu was exceptional was an understatement. She couldn't get the image of that massive electro ball out of her head. The bond with his trainer was that of a brother. They would do anything to protect one another.

Pikachu unleashed his signature attack, thunderbolt. Bright yellow electricity flared. Houndoom leapt to the side, barely avoiding the attack. Houndoom must've been well trained to dodge a thunderbolt. A powerful Flamethrower erupted from Houndoom's jaws and headed straight for Pikachu. The electric type formed an Electro Ball around itself and jumped though the flames.

Pikachu maintained the attack through the flames and unleashed it when he was clear of the flames. That was an interesting strategy, using an attack move as defense. Houndoom retaliated using Bite. Pikachu used Iron Tail to defend itself. Houndoom became surrounded by sparks. Static. _Crack!_ Another thunderbolt attack except this time it left Houndoom out cold.

Pikachu returned to Ash's side. Harrison's next Pokémon was a Sneasel. Ash chose Frogadier. Ash started with a water pulse. Sneasel dodged to one side and counterattacked with Fury Swipes. Frogadier parried the attack with Cut, following up with Bubble. Dust obscured the battlefield. When it cleared, multiple Frogadier's appeared facing Sneasel. Sneasel began charging up Dark Pulse. The Frogadier's began moving around in a circle. A dizzying effect. Sneasel became confused, trying to hit the Frogadier's with Shadow Ball. As the dust built up from the fakes, she lost sight of the field. Sneasel was thrown from the dust cloud and impacted the wall. Swirls were in its eyes. _"What happened?"_

Regardless, Harrison was down a Pokemon. Ash still had all six of his Pokémon. Ash had learned to combine his moves together. A combined move meant double the attack, giving less room for commands from the opponent. Harrison chose Hypno for his next Pokémon. Ash switched Frogadier with Leavanny. From what she had seen, Leavanny was an expert with string shot. A move when combined with a damaging move insured the hit. Hypno was weak against bug type moves and Leavanny was the only bug type Ash had with him.

The first move went to Harrison who used Hypnosis. Leavanny fired energy ball straight up into the air and promptly fell asleep when Hypnosis hit. Leavanny's energy ball came back down on Leavanny, waking her up. Leavanny's move didn't do anything else except function as an alarm clock. _"Now that was unexpected."_ Leavanny used string shot and tied up Hypno's pendulum, keeping it from using its Psychic type moves. Energy ball soon impacted Hypno while he was trying to untangle his pendulum. Energy Ball had dissolved the string shot, leaving Hypno free.

Hypno used Psychic, lowering Leavanny's defense. She saw Harrison's plan immediately. A hypnosis move followed by Dream Eater would render Leavanny unconscious or Ash could wake up his Pokémon again using the same tactic as before, but it would do some damage even though it was a bug type move. Leavanny used string shot, tying up Hypno following up with Razor Leaf. When the dust from the attack cleared, Hypno was unconscious. Harrison chose Kecleon as his last Pokémon. Ash remained with Leavanny.

Ash had the first move. Leavanny used string shot followed by Energy Ball. The attack missed but the shockwave sent Kecleon flying. Kecleon turned invisible in the grass. The red stripe would give it away if you looked for it. Leavanny couldn't see Kecleon anymore. Psybeam came from nowhere and Leavanny protected itself with Energy Ball. Leavanny then began using String Shot all around the field. When Leavanny was done, a sticky web covered the field. Ash's Pokémon sat in the middle of the web.

" _Like a Spinarak web."_ If Kecleon moved wrong, Leavanny would know about it. Kecleon's lashed out in a Lick attack. Leavanny used Energy Ball and the move stuck to Kecleon's tongue. Kecleon received Energy Ball full to the face. When the dust cleared, Kecleon was unconscious. Ash had not lost a single Pokémon yet. His battling style was still the same, but it had changed slightly. Experience? Growing up? No trainer changed battle style overnight. Victini"s favor? Somebody would've seen Victini and none of Ash's Pokémon moves were overpowered.

 _Above the Stadium_

Mew was watching Ash's battle while staying behind the board that represented the trainer's Pokémon. Something collided into the Mythical Pokémon. A smaller Pokémon appeared. The smaller Pokemon shook its head. A V was made by its large pointed ears. Large, intelligent blue eyes gazed at Mew. The Victory Pokémon, Victini. Seeing Ash down on the field. Victini turned itself invisible, only to be held back by Mew. "Mew." Victini pouted, but sat still and watched the battle below.

 _In the Stands_

Ash had not yet lost a single Pokémon. Her head reeled. Had Ash really changed so much over the years? By the first few minutes of the first round, Ash should've lost one Pokémon. By the second match they all had agreed that Ash had changed. He was wiping the floor with his opponents. Ash's Pokémon must've continued their training at Oak's Ranch.

Delia was still taking pictures. Dawn cheering on Ash. Bonnie was bouncing up and down in her seat. Explained were Ash got all his energy from. The sounds of battle and the crowd made conversation difficult. A Pokémon League was a huge event, drawing in hundreds. This was different. Thousands had turned up, as if the whole of the Pokémon world were watching this event.

Her sister's had stayed home and were watching the match on television. She was just glad they hadn't learned about Pokémon showcases. Watching over the gym took a lot of paperwork and practice. She couldn't become a Water Pokémon Master tied down to a gym. Meeting Ash had been like a breath of fresh air. He brought adventure wherever he went. Life was never dull with Ash around.

She still had that crush on him. It confused her to no end. Being around him brought those feelings back full force. The way he said "Mist", her nickname brought Butterfree's to her stomach. Not that Misty Waterflower would _ever_ say that out loud.

Ash's obtuseness to love was aggravating. He wouldn't notice if a girl so much as blushed over him, or as Bonnie said fought over him. She had heard about Miette and Serena's little "contest" from Clemont's little sister. When she heard that, she almost laughed. Ash would probably chalk it up to the performances and he did.

Her musings were broken when a cold shiver ran down her spine. Turning, she noticed that a hooded man was watching the match from three rows back. She couldn't tell who it was because the shadows of the hood kept his face hidden. N? He didn't watch Pokémon battles. As fast as he appeared he was gone. Leaving her wondering if he was a ghost Pokémon in disguise. The match was over for today, but Misty was unsettled. With Ash, trouble was never too far behind.

 **Reviews make the journey continue!**


End file.
